battery issues
justin476
06-23-2006, 03:33 PM
the last week or so i've been having to push start my car. For some reason my battery keeps dying on me. I checked the battery which is only a year old and it's still fine. Same with the alternator. What shouuld i check next? Grounds? I can't figure out where all my juice is going when my car is off...
sonicrex
06-23-2006, 04:19 PM
So, you're only having a problem with starting, correct? Check your battery cables at the battery and the alternator. You may also want to test your main relay. Also, check to make sure that no lights or other accessories are left on to drain the battery.
bambam89lx
06-24-2006, 03:18 PM
So, you're only having a problem with starting, correct? Check your battery cables at the battery and the alternator. You may also want to test your main relay. Also, check to make sure that no lights or other accessories are left on to drain the battery.
How do you know you're battery is good? It may have a dead cell. If your car has a short, do this to find the short.
Get a multimeter. Remove EVERY fuse (remember which ones go where). Check for current or voltage at every fuse socket. If something is getting power when the key is out of the ignition, then that system has a short. For some ODD reason, it's usually the radio.
You can still have 12-14 volts at your battery and it still be bad. It's not the volts that are important, it's the current (amperage). Check to make sure you have enough amps in the battery (at the very minimum, 300 or so amps when the battery is cold).
make sure the alternator wire is on tight. check your alternator belt to make sure it isn't loose.
How do you know you're battery is good? It may have a dead cell. If your car has a short, do this to find the short.
Get a multimeter. Remove EVERY fuse (remember which ones go where). Check for current or voltage at every fuse socket. If something is getting power when the key is out of the ignition, then that system has a short. For some ODD reason, it's usually the radio.
You can still have 12-14 volts at your battery and it still be bad. It's not the volts that are important, it's the current (amperage). Check to make sure you have enough amps in the battery (at the very minimum, 300 or so amps when the battery is cold).
make sure the alternator wire is on tight. check your alternator belt to make sure it isn't loose.
justin476
06-24-2006, 10:59 PM
I took my battery in a while ago to get it checked out and they said the battery was fine. I checked the alternator and it was charging my battery when it was on. I'll try your idea with the fuses and let you guys know whats up. I checked my battery cables and they all seemed to be fine. I'll double check again though. My neg cable looks a little worn, it's not corroding or nothing but its just got some decent sized scrapes in it, but i'm pretty sure it's fine. I'll see what i can do in the next few days. Thanks guys
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